I never saw Dolly Parton being a part of my blog. Yet the master storyteller ⏤ or songteller, as she refers to herself ⏤ fully understands what ‘celebrating the dash’ is all about.
Many of us have walked through graveyards, curious about the lives of the names on the markers. It’s beautiful when those left behind capture the essence of their loved one at their service, recreating their personality. But that rarely happens. The industry was not set up that way…until now with storytellers like me.
I’ve always loved Dolly Parton, going way back to the 70s and hearing her emotional voice singing “I Will Always Love You.” Her song had impact long before Whitney Houston covered it in her own powerful version. Naturally I knew the song was about Dolly’s professional relationship, and parting, with Porter Wagoner. My sister made sure I did! And now Dolly shares the story in her new book.
I haven’t written music in decades. I acknowledge I’m not a songteller; I’m a sacred life celebrant and proud to be in the same world as Dolly ⏤ honoring stories.